What We’re Reading in October: Resources for Navigating Change and Challenges

This October, as we explore emotional wellness amidst life’s changes, our clinical focus turns to two essential aspects of healing: the conversations in our minds and the wisdom of our bodies. True balance often requires us to both quiet the internal noise and reconnect with physical intuition. This month’s selections offer profound insights into mastering both.

Here are two books we’re finding invaluable:

1. Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross, PhD (2021)

Experimental psychologist and neuroscientist Ethan Kross delves into the powerful and often destructive world of our inner voice. We all experience “chatter”—the cyclical negative thoughts that can amplify our anxieties and make challenges feel insurmountable. Kross brilliantly blends cutting-edge research with actionable tools to help us transform our inner critic into a tool for growth.

This book is a masterclass in managing one of the most common human experiences: rumination. When facing life’s changes and challenges, our inner narrative can either be our greatest ally or our biggest obstacle. Kross provides science-backed techniques—from “distanced self-talk” (using your own name) to harnessing the environment around you—to quiet the noise and gain control over your internal world. It’s a practical guide for anyone looking to find more balance and less emotional turbulence.

2. The Wisdom of Your Body: Finding Healing, Wholeness, and Connection Through Embodied Living by Hillary L. McBride, PhD (2021)

While Chatter helps us manage the mind, Dr. Hillary McBride’s work guides us home to the body. She compellingly argues that many of us live disembodied lives, disconnected due to trauma, societal pressures, or shame. This book is a compassionate, insightful guide to healing that rift. McBride teaches us how to listen to the physical sensations that hold our emotions, process stress somatically, and develop a kinder, more connected relationship with our physical selves.

You cannot achieve emotional wellness by focusing on the mind alone. This book is a vital resource for understanding the deep, often-ignored dialogue between body and emotion, empowering you to build holistic resilience.

Together, these books provide a powerful, integrated approach to well-being: mastering the stories we tell ourselves and honoring the intelligence of the vessel that carries us. They remind us that healing is a whole-self endeavor.

If the themes in these books resonate with you, our therapists at Wellspring are here to help you apply these insights to your own unique journey.